BALINEWSID.COM, SIEM REAP, Cambodia – Indonesia’s Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, presented the country’s three-pillar national immigration strategy at the 29th ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM) held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from June 23 to 25, 2026.

Speaking at the regional forum, Hendarsam said Indonesia’s immigration system is built on three key pillars: strengthening border inspections, enhancing the supervision of foreign nationals, and integrating digital immigration services to improve national security and combat transnational crime.

“Strengthening border inspections, monitoring foreign nationals, and integrating digital services are the three pillars supporting Indonesia’s immigration system. Supported by inter-agency collaboration, we have been able to detect immigration violations and transnational crimes at every stage—before, during, and after immigration inspections,” Hendarsam said during his opening presentation.

He explained that the Directorate General of Immigration has strengthened border security by optimizing risk-based analysis through the Passengers Analysis Unit (PAU) at Immigration Checkpoints and the Immigration Traffic Monitoring Center (ITMC) at the national level.

Hendarsam also highlighted the effectiveness of the Foreigners Reporting Application (APOA), which is integrated with the Indonesian National Police (Polri). The system contributed to the arrest of 210 foreign nationals linked to an online investment fraud syndicate in Batam in early May 2026, helping prevent the misuse of residence permits.

On the sidelines of the DGICM meeting, Hendarsam held a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA). During the discussion, Indonesia proposed a new mechanism for issuing Working Holiday Visas (WHV) for Indonesian citizens.

He suggested that Australia adopt a Ballot System to manage the high number of Indonesian applicants, saying the mechanism would ensure greater fairness, transparency, and efficiency in allocating visa quotas.

At the regional level, Indonesia was also appointed as the Voluntary Lead Shepherd (VLS) for the People Smuggling agenda under the DGICM Plan of Action (PoA). Other ASEAN member states leading regional cooperation initiatives include Cambodia on the Intelligence Data Sharing Protocol, Malaysia on Foreign Terrorist Fighters Movement, Singapore on Fraudulent Travel Documents, and Brunei Darussalam on Consular Matters.

Hendarsam emphasized that transnational crime requires coordinated regional responses and stronger cooperation among ASEAN member states.

“Transnational crime demands integrated solutions. Through Indonesia’s mandate as Lead Shepherd on people smuggling, we encourage all ASEAN members to strengthen intelligence sharing and harmonize technology to build a safer and more resilient region,” he concluded.